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Dear friends
This weekend is my last in the parish before I take up my new appointment at Ipswich. As many of you know I was appointed to the parishes of St John Vianney, Manly and St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale in November 2017 as a Deacon. I was then reappointed in June 2018 as a priest until the end of the year. Since my time here I’ve been particularly blessed to be in the company of generous and faithful people. During my initial formation at Holy Spirit Seminary, Banyo I was often offered the advice that my first appointment will be instrumental in laying the foundations of my ministry and my ongoing formation. This was indeed good advice and exactly what I have experienced during my time in these neighbouring parishes. The last 13 months here have been filled with many firsts; my first baptism, my first funeral and hearing my first confession. In these graced moments your hospitality, prayer and friendship have helped shape my ministry for which I’m very grateful. St Therese of Lisieux describes prayer as a “surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned towards heaven”. This quote captures quite well how I feel about my time here. My prayer for these parishes is one of gratitude, it’s a surge of the heart in thanksgiving to God for all the blessings that have come my way in your midst. God bless, Fr Thomas Zaranski
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Dear friends Christmas is just around the corner. I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very happy and holy Christmas and a New Year full of grace and peace. Emmanuel - God is with us – is our joyful word of praise. When we gather this Christmas it is Jesus who draws us and who gives meaning to our experience of family and Church. In fact we find Jesus in the sweet taste of mercy and compassion. Jesus makes our hearts burst with willingness to help all those in need. Jesus enables us to be close to everyone and everything. He was born to make us available for everyone. You will find Him in the beauty of nature, children, elderly and the young. Especially in those who are weak, sick and poor. Let us remember that Christmas is a wonderful gift. Emmanuel helps me to go out to the weak and fragile and show them the way to health and wholeness. To be a real comfort for all who are sad and suffering. God’s glory is shown in us when we are fully alive for others. Joy, peace and love all come from the heart in love of God and from a will full of goodness. Let us make this Christmas a true time of peace and adoration. To be still and feel the presence of God in each other. Happy Christmas Fr. Frank Christmas Eve Mass Times:
5:00pm St John Vianney’s Manly | 7:00pm St Jude’s, Gumdale | 7:00pm St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | Midnight Carmelite Monastery Ormiston Christmas Day Mass Times: 8:00am St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | 9:30am St John Vianney’s Manly Dear friends As Christmas draws near, the scriptures encourage us “not to lose heart” and to overcome anxiety through patience. We are asked to remember that the Lord is near, close at hand, and that His gentleness and peace will overcome any of our trials. Perhaps the most beautiful image at Christmas is the gentleness and peace that we find when we meditate upon the Nativity scene. Jesus is at peace in the care of Mary and Joseph. His security is placed in the gentleness of Joseph and the beautiful heart of Mary His mother. Even the warmth of the animals and hay keep Him from being overcome by the bitter cold of winter. God, made a baby in Jesus, finds His peace in the love provided for Him by God our Father in his parents Mary and Joseph. This is the season for peace. We can find this gift only in Jesus. Like Christ we only have to be patient and trust in God our Father to provide us with the security we need. God is with us always, Emmanuel, and we only have to search for Him and we will find that strength to face our difficulties that comes from trust in God. The grace and peace that comes from a good confession is always the perfect gift of Christmas. We can be renewed in grace and strengthen our resolve not to lose heart and to become patient and gentle as Christ. God bless Fr Frank Christmas Eve Mass Times:
5:00pm St John Vianney’s Manly | 7:00pm St Jude’s, Gumdale | 7:00pm St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | Midnight Carmelite Monastery Ormiston Christmas Day Mass Times: 8:00am St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | 9:30am St John Vianney’s Manly Dear friends When we look at the Christmas Crib, we see salvation. John the Baptist is calling us in this season of Advent to turn our hearts to Jesus, to come back to Him with all our hearts. The three elements of prayer:
This is the season to give. To give God time in prayer, even if it begins with a moment of silence as we begin and end our day. The Hail Mary or the Glory be to God. To give love to others through a home visit to an elderly or sick relative or friend. Better still to someone who lives alone. To give time for our family so that our relationships may deepen and become more intimate. Time given for God, time for others and time for family, these three are what matters. God bless Fr Frank Christmas Eve Mass Times:
5:00pm St John Vianney’s Manly | 7:00pm St Jude’s, Gumdale | 7:00pm St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | Midnight Carmelite Monastery Ormiston Christmas Day Mass Times: 8:00am St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | 9:30am St John Vianney’s Manly Dear friends Christmas is 23 days away. As we begin the season of Advent and the beginning of the church’s year, it’s time for renewal and to recreate. Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year for families to reunite and celebrate God’s greatest gift to us – life, love, family, belonging and the presence of God in the baby Jesus, in His mother Mary and the His father-protector in this world St Joseph. Let us simply look upon our Christmas crib and pray in awe at the good news given to us by the Angels of the birth of our saviour Jesus. Jesus is the cause of our Joy. He is the centre of our nativity, the reason for our celebration and the purpose of our coming together as family and parish. We have so much to be grateful for. Gratitude, generosity and peace are the gifts given to us in Jesus, through Mary and the humility of Joseph. In this time of Advent, preparation for the birth of Christ, celebrated at Mass on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, is the most revered of our Christian faith. Let us use our time in Advent for prayer, intimacy with Jesus in the Mass, true charity in our love for our family and the poor. May the crib which shows us the beauty of Christmas encourage us to adore Christ and show our love for Him in the humble and poor. God bless Fr Frank Christmas Eve Mass Times:
5:00pm St John Vianney’s Manly | 7:00pm St Jude’s, Gumdale | 7:00pm St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | Midnight Carmelite Monastery Ormiston Christmas Day Mass Times: 8:00am St Mary MacKillop, Birkdale | 9:30am St John Vianney’s Manly |
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